DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S LANDMARK 11-PART SERIES LIFE TELLS THE INTIMATE STORIES OF SOME OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR AND BIZARRE PLANTS AND ANIMALS ON THE PLANET
-- Narrated by
Oprah Winfrey, Series Premieres March 21, 2010 --
(Silver Spring, Md.) – The earth is home to more
than 30 million different animals and plants – every single one in its own
fight for survival. From the makers of PLANET EARTH and narrated by global
media leader and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, the epic television series LIFE is the definitive exploration of
our planet’s living things and their spectacular, bizarre and fascinating
behaviors. A BBC and Discovery Channel
co-production, the 11-part natural history series airs on Discovery Channel on Sundays
from March 21 through April 18, 2010, with two episodes at 8-10PM ET/PT each
night, and The Making of LIFE at 10PM on April 18.
LIFE is epic in
scope, yet intimate in its storytelling.
More than four years in the making, with over 3,000 days of filming in
the field, LIFE spans every
continent and every habitat. Each
episode focuses on a different animal or plant group, engrossing viewers with
never-before-seen behaviors using the latest in state-of-the-art high-definition
filming techniques. From strange
creatures, such as the star-nosed mole that hunts underwater using bubbles to
smell its prey, to grand spectacles, like millions of fruit bats darkening the
Zambian sky, each episode tells mind-blowing stories of survival with drama,
humor and suspense.
“LIFE will amaze
audiences of all ages throughout the world.
The series captures the awe and wonder of Mother Nature and uses the
very best in cinematic techniques and engaging storytelling to bring natural
history to Discovery Channel,” said Clark Bunting, president and general
manager of Discovery Channel and president of Science Channel. “Told through the stories of nature's most captivating animals and plants,
each episode of LIFE delivers on our
core mission to educate our viewers about the world around them. We are honored to have this brilliant program
as a cornerstone to our 25th anniversary year and nothing says Discovery better
than this groundbreaking television event."
As one of the most influential voices of our time, narrator
Oprah Winfrey will introduce some of the most compelling natural history images
ever seen -- many captured for the first time ever on film. These include the first filming of a male
humpback whale mating battle (called the “heat run”) from beginning to end;
Komodo dragons bringing down an animal 10 times their size in a real-life drama
that lasted more than two weeks; a pebble toad rolling down a mountain,
bouncing like a rubber ball, to escape a tarantula; the bizarre mating ritual
of the elusive Vogelkop bowerbird, found in the deep forests of New Guinea; and
an astonishing night scene showing massive numbers of Humboldt squid hunting cooperatively
for sardines.
Filmmakers developed ingenious methods for capturing the
series’ breathtaking images. A “yogi
cam,” developed specifically for LIFE,
allowed a camera to track smoothly alongside migrating reindeer and elephants. Intricate cable rigging was employed to
enable the crew to “fly” a camera through thousands of monarch butterflies in Mexico,
providing a unique “butterfly-eye” perspective.
The premiere episode of LIFE,
Challenges
of Life, provides an overview and sets the stage for the ambitious
series. A special Making Of episode caps
the series and tells the incredible stories of the dozens of men and women who
spent days, weeks and months patiently waiting for a perfect shot. Other episodes showcase Birds, deep sea marine
invertebrates (Creatures of the Deep), Fish, hunting mammals (Hunters
and Hunted), Insects, Mammals, Plants,
Primates,
and Reptiles
& Amphibians.
The LIFE website
at http://discovery.com/life will
extend the richness of the series online, with exclusive behind-the-scenes
webisodes featuring one-on-one interviews and moments with some of the daring filmmakers who brought the series to the
screen. In each webisode, viewers will
discover what went into locating the strange behaviors and fascinating
adaptations of the natural world -- and the incredible lengths to which cameramen
and producers went to capture them on camera. The LIFE
website will also feature a multiplayer strategy game, the object of which is
to “win” by improving your animal's habitat, and a series of in-depth articles that
incorporate expert interviews, animal profiles and first-person quizzes to give
more information about key behaviors from the series. Additional features include a global map of
endangered species, stunning photography from the series and an interactive
"gene machine" where users can find out how animals are genetically
related. Facebook users can become fans
of LIFE at http://facebook.com/DiscoveryLIFE,
and Twitter users can follow the series at http://twitter.com/LIFEonDiscovery.
Discovery Education, the leader in digital media for the
classroom whose services are available in more than half the schools in the U.S.,
will also debut LIFE in March. Full-length episodes, clips and classroom
resources aligned to state standards will be available to educators and
students on Discovery Education streaming
Plus the day after each episode premieres on Discovery Channel. Teacher's guides and ancillary materials for
three targeted grade bands (3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) will promote critical thinking
among students and support educators in taking a cross-curricular instructional
approach. The only digital video-based
learning service scientifically shown to increase academic achievement, Discovery
Education streaming Plus enhances curriculum with up to 9,000 videos and
71,000 high-quality digital video clips, all aligned to state standards.
LIFE is a BBC
and Discovery Channel co-production. Mike Gunton is the executive producer for the
BBC. Susan Winslow is the executive
producer for Discovery Channel. Discovery
Channel and the BBC also created the award-winning natural history series PLANET EARTH and BLUE PLANET.
Discover, GEICO, Sprint and Volkswagen are all major
sponsors of LIFE.
LIFE will be
available on DVD and Blu-ray disc at DiscoveryStore.com in April, following the
last television broadcast. As of this
month, consumers can pre-order the DVD and Blu-ray discs at DiscoveryStore.com.
To download compelling images, or for additional press
information about LIFE, please
visit: http://press.discovery.com. Interviews are available.
About Discovery
Channel
Discovery Channel (DSC) is dedicated to creating the highest
quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the
world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which reaches 99.8 million
viewers in the US, can be seen in over 170 countries, offering a signature mix
of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across
genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and
in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that
shape and share our world. For more
information, please visit www.discovery.com.
About Discovery
Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is
the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion
cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries.
Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their
curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC,
Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD
Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and
a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
